This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. xc2xa7119 to Japanese Patent Application No. 2000-159429 filed on May 30, 2000, the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to an information recordation system that employs an information recordation apparatus such as an optical disc drive that records information onto an information recordable medium such as a CD-R/RW (Recordable and Rewritable Compact Disc), a DVD-R/RW (Recordable and Rewritable Digital Versatile Disc), etc., and an information recordation medium that stores program that enables a host computer to practice a software.
In particular, the present invention relates to a multitasking information recordation system capable of recording a plurality of information onto a plurality of information recordable mediums in parallel using a plurality of information recordation apparatuses, and an information recordation medium that stores a program capable of multitasking.
2. Discussion of the Background
To reliably read recorded contents with a CD-R/RW drive, a DVD-R/RW drive, etc., that can write information such as data, music, etc., a prescribed writing method should be utilized in accordance with a standard such as the Orange Book. According to the Orange Book or the like, a joint portion (i.e., continuity between portions in which data recordation is terminated when temporary stoppage or the like occurs during data recordation and the next recordation starts) is also standardized so as to prevent lack of reading of recorded contents or waste of a used optical disc, especially, of an additional recordation type that might occur due to a lack or disturbance of data continuity at the joint portion.
One typical solution to the above described joint portion problem is to avoid temporarily stops while recording.
Focussing on this point, manufacturers of drive devices or programs have continuously performed development.
Typically, when write data is transmitted from a host computer (e.g. a personal computer) at a transfer rate (i.e., a transfer speed) in excess of a write speed of an optical disc drive, a writing operation is interrupted and results in failure, because next data can not subsequently be written. Such a phenomenon is called as xe2x80x9cbuffer underrunxe2x80x9d, and a variety of devices that attempts to suppress the phenomenon have been proposed.
For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid Open No. 10-49990 proposes a write device that writes (data) while maintaining data continuity using CIRC (Cross Interleave Reed Solomon Code) demodulation at both of data write termination and start portions on an optical disc. As a result, such a technology can maintain data continuity even when there is a temporary stoppage and/or a change in a write speed occurs during data recordation.
The number of personal computer users who use the above described types of optical disc drives has increased as the drives and writable optical discs become more affordable. Limitations are typically imposed on personal computers in order to ensure that recordings are not interrupted. For example, multitasking is often disabled during recording, thereby preventing use of another application until the recording is completed.
However, as described in Japanese Patent Application Laid Open No. 10-49990, for example, a solution for the above-described joint portion problem has been developed in the drive device side. Thus, multitasking can be enabled even while recording.
Unfortunately, even when using a drive which incorporates the above described improvements, limitations in the recording software, OS (operating system) drivers, and the application environment may limit multitasking. Thus, real multitasking, in which a plurality of recording software starts and a plurality of separate write operations is substantially simultaneously performed by a plurality of drive units, can not currently be achieved.
Additionally, the performance of many operation environments (e.g., a personal computer, its operating system, the recording software, etc) is significantly degraded when multitasking occurs during recording. As a result, many users do not multitask during recording.
However, a performance of a personal computer has recently been improved. Accordingly, the operating system and the recording software can be designed to support multitasking under some situations.
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to address and resolve the above and other problems and provide a new information recordation system. The above and other objects are achieved according to the present invention by an information recordation system including a plurality of information recordation devices configured to record information onto information recordable mediums using at least one recording software. A host computer may also be provided in the information recordation system to transmit write information from at least one storage device to the plurality of information recordation devices. A write information candidate display device may also be provided to selectively display at least one write information candidate stored in the at least one storage device on a display. A write information selection device may also be provided to select at least one write information among the at least one write information candidate. An information recordation device candidate displaying device may also be provided to display a plurality of information recordation device candidates, which is available to cooperate with the host computer using the at least one recording software, on the display. An information recordation device selection device may also be provided to select at least two information recordation devices among the plurality of information recordation device candidates. A recordation start instruction device may be provided to instruct the host computer to transmit one or more write information selected by the write information selection device to the at least two information recordation devices selected by the information recordation device selection devices, and may instruct the at least two information recordation devices to work in parallel.
In another embodiment, the plurality of information recordation devices may include information recordable optical disc drives configured to record information onto optical discs using write devices configured to write information while maintaining data continuity between information write start and termination portions when recordation is stopped and restarted.
In yet another embodiment, a recording software selection device may be provided to select a plurality of recording software in accordance with a type of write information to be recorded so that at least one write information and at least one information recordation device can be selected in different combination per recording software selection.
In yet another embodiment, a parallel operation instruction device may be provided to instruct the information recordation system to perform another job in parallel with the recordation performed by at least one information recordation device.
In yet another embodiment, another job may include sound reproduction for reproducing sound of write information originally stored in the at least one storage device via a speaker.
In yet another embodiment, another job may include data display for displaying contents of data originally stored in the at least one storage device on the display.